10:00 PM PST on Saturday, January 9, 2010
By IMRAN GHORI
The Press-Enterprise
San Bernardino County supervisors will consider a proposal Tuesday to turn the duties of treasurer-tax collector over to the auditor-controller’s office.
Combining the two independently elected positions would save up to $1 million a year at a time when the county is anticipating a large budget shortfall due to declining sales and property taxes, according to a report from Assistant County Administrator Dean Arabatzis.
The proposal has been harshly criticized by former Treasurer-Tax Collector Dick Larsen, who resigned in July after 11 years in the position. He called it a back-room deal that officials are trying to sneak by before the June election.